3 NY Mets free agent fits they shouldn't touch with a 39 and a half inch pole

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You’re a mean one, New York Mets roster. Still with three major vacancies without even exploring all of the questions in the bullpen, it’s hard to imagine we end up getting all of the players we’d like to fill them.

MLB free agency has moved along slowly with many great fits for each of the spots the Mets have open. What about those other players who live atop Whoville?

Excluding some of those obvious available names you might see people mention on social media to get a reaction, these three others are easy “nos.” The Mets should avoid them like the Grinch.

1) Mike Clevinger

Mike Clevinger is a distraction the Mets don’t need. Although in a different category than the players who were put on administrative leave by MLB in 2023 because the investigation into him didn’t lead to a punishment, we can make a case to pass on Clevinger for what he does on the field, too.

Clevinger actually did have a good season with the Chicago White Sox last year, going 9-9 with a 3.77 ERA. The $4 million buyout was exercised by the White Sox leading to his free agency for the second consecutive year.

A bit of an enigma throughout his career, Clevinger was one of many pitchers Cleveland developed well only to see other issues get in the way of their path toward stardom. Let’s treat some of those others like Voldemort and not name them.

Clevinger is already 33 and with a track record of not staying healthy, feels like an unnecessary addition to the Mets roster when we add in the public relations hit. There are some things more important than trying to assemble a winning baseball team. Integrity. Justice. Let’s not muddy any waters.

The Mets need pitching. Clevinger isn’t the guy to get.

2) Josh Donaldson

Josh Donaldson is going to become Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino one day. I’ll admit he was one of my favorite players in the league back when he first got to the Toronto Blue Jays and won an MVP. I enjoyed the trash talking and feud with Manny Machado. While Machado seems to have grown up a bit, Donaldson has been in a state of arrested development.

Upon joining the Milwaukee Brewers last year, Donaldson didn’t introduce himself because “everybody already knows who I am.” Classless for sure, we can already safely bet Donaldson has no interest in returning to New York at all after his forgettable stint with the Yankees. He’ll have to deal with the same media that crushed him endlessly.

Donaldson would be a much more intriguing match for the Mets if he didn’t hit .152/.249/.418 last season. The absence of any reliability or at least robust power takes away any reason to sign him.

The version of him from a few years ago would have actually been a perfect match. Donaldson could be a DH and backup third baseman. Instead, the Mets should probably have Justin Turner in mind for this.

Fortunately, Donaldson may have ousted himself from a lot of locker rooms with the way he has behaved. The Mets, who may have otherwise had some sort of interest, can turn their gaze elsewhere without a second thought.

3) Joey Gallo

Another ex-Yankee who never figured it out in the Bronx is Joey Gallo. The left field vacancy for the Mets along with some at-bats as the DH could logically fit in Gallo. Let’s go and do it. His left-handed power is something we’d love to see behind Pete Alonso, right?

No, not at the cost of everywhere Gallo does poorly. He hasn’t finished with a batting average over the Mendoza Line since 2019. In fact, that’s his lone year where he hit over .210! Holy cow those career numbers slashing .197/.323/.466. Adam Dunn has been reincarnated and they took away the 40+ home run power and ability to walk 100 times. They called the creature Joey Gallo.

It will be interesting to see what kind of deal Gallo gets and where he lands. The Minnesota Twins signed him to a one-year deal worth $11 million last season. He didn’t give them that kind of performance. How much better is he really than a DH-exclusive bat like Daniel Vogelbach? At least Vogelbach had some professional at-bats. Gallo looks like he’s in a wiffle ball home run derby where the prize is getting to sleep on the top bunk.

The Mets still have work to do. Clevinger to fill the rotation, Donaldson as a backup third baseman and DH, plus Gallo in left field? This is what nightmares are made of.

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